Warehouse Safety

Learn Tips on Warehouse Safety

To engage all workers in warehouse safety awareness, you need to make your employees aware of hazards found in a warehouse, and teach them to use the precautions that will help them make the warehouse a safer workplace. Afterwards, you should notice more worker attention on equipment and tasks that might cause accidents, more people trying to follow the safety rules, and fewer accidents.

A safe and efficient warehouse is important to a successful company. The warehouse is the central area where goods are received and stored and shipped. There is a lot to keep track of, so you need to pay especially close attention to safety when you are working in the warehouse.

There are a variety of hazards that can be found in a warehouse setting. One of the most commons accidents is a slip, trip or fall. When you are busy carrying and moving materials, on different surfaces, it's easy to lose your balance or stumble over something left behind.

Another warehouse safety concern is falling items. If things aren't carefully stacked, especially on shelves or pallets, they can teeter and fall on an unsuspecting worker.

The equipment used in a warehouse can also pose risks to workers. Forklifts, conveyor belts and hand trucks can all cause accidents is the users aren't careful. You can also risk injury to your own back if you use poor lifting skills.

The actual materials that are stored in warehouses can pose dangers, too. You must protect yourself and other workers from health hazards if you work in a warehouse that stores hazardous materials.

There are many things that can pose hazards to warehouse workers. Hazards can change from day to day, depending on the type of materials being stored or moved.

Look around you and start every day with your eyes open, looking around to identify possible hazards so that you can take steps to prevent accidents.

As you glance around the warehouse for potential hazards, concentrate first on one aspect that's often overlooked – housekeeping. Good housekeeping will help keep the warehouse safe, as well as making it easier to locate everything.

While you scan the warehouse, take care to notice any of the following possible hazards:

Objects or materials in aisles or on the floor, which become tripping hazards

Materials that are not properly stacked that could fall on someone.

Large items left where people can bump into them

Trash strewn about that can cause someone to trip or slip.

Careless spills that might result in a worker slipping or falling.

There are many other areas that play a part in warehouse safety, but keep your eyes open and be alert to any hazards in the areas in which you work.